''Crescentia'' (calabash tree, huingo, krabasi, or kalebas) is a genus of six species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the family Bignoniaceae, native to southern

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

northern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. The species are moderate-size

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s growing to tall, and producing large spherical fruits, with a thin, hard shell and soft pulp, up to in diameter.

Uses

The fruit pulp is used traditionally for respiratory problems. The hard shell can be used for containers, scoops, cups etc.

Selected species

*''

Crescentia alata ''Crescentia alata'', variously called Mexican calabash, jícaro, morro, morrito, or winged calabash, is a plant species in the family Bignoniaceae and in the genus ''Crescentia'', native to southern Mexico and Central America south to Costa Ric ...

'' *'' Crescentia cujete'' *''

Crescentia portoricensis ''Crescentia portoricensis'', commonly known as higuero de sierra, is a species of plant in the family Bignoniaceae. It is a perennial evergreen shrub endemic to Puerto Rico. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also terme ...

References

External links

* http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/10/planet-calabash/ Bignoniaceae genera Flora of Central America Flora of the Caribbean Flora of South America Flora of Southern Mexico Tropical fruit Neotropical realm flora Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Bignoniaceae-stub